Borehole lining or casing



United States Patent 3,104,7@3 BRELE LEJNG 0R CASlNG .laines L. lilre and Garland C. Terrel, Houston, rLlex., assignors, by mesne assignments, to .lersey Production Research Company, Tulsa, Qlila., a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 31, 196i?, Ser. No. 53,030 2 Claims. (Cl. 16d- 21) This invention relates to iiuid conduits for forming a flow path through a supporting material. More particularly, this invention is a novel oil and gas well lining or casting and a method for forming this lining or casing.

ln the linding and production of oil and gas, the costs involved are continuously increasing. Based on presentday costs, casing and tubing alone represent one-quarter of the cost of drilling and completing an oil well. Prospects for reducing this tremendous expenditure depend on finding a suitable substitute for steel tubular members, particularly casing or lining since it represents the major item.

The invention to be described herein provides the art with a low cost borehole lining or casing.

Brieily described, this invention comprises a tubular member of metal with the tubular member having a smaller diameter than the borehole. The tubular member has been inserted into the borehole while in its initial state of being iiat or other deflated shape. After the iiat ribbon or other deated shape oi' inflatable metal material has been inflated, a cementitious material is flowed through the inilated metal tubular member and into the annulus formed by the metal tubular member in the borehole. The cementitious material is then allowed to set in the annulus. The cementitious material which has been allowed to set in the annulus formed by the metal tubular member in the borehole in combination with the metal tubular member provides an elhcient borehole lining or casing.

The inilatable metal strips may be produced in any metal that can be cold worked. Each inflatable metal strip is made very thin and is provided with a longitudinal passage. If the strip is thin enough and a high pressure is applied to the longitudinal passage, the shape of the metal is changed into tubular form. These metals include copper, aluminum alloys, stainless and carbon steel, nickel, zirconium, titanium, and tantalum. The use of this light-weight, low-strength, low-cost stripped metal material surrounded with cement, plastic, epoxy, or other supporting material that can be placed in a duid state and will harden after placement, substantially reduces well costs.

The invention as well as its many advantages will be further understood by reference to the following detailed description and drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view in elevation useful in explaining the method of forming the lining or casing;

FIG. 1A is an enlarged view partly in section of the lower portion of FIG. l;

FIG. 2 is taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view in elevation useful in explaining the method of placing the cementitious material in the annulus formed after the metal strips have been inflated into a tubular shape; and

FIG. 4 is a View taken along lines 4 4 of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 1, a borehole is shown formed from the earths surface. A light-weight, low-cost metal in ribbon form 12 is shown lowered into the borehole 10 with its lower extremity adjacent the bottom of the borehole. It is to be understood that the inflatable member 12 may be in shapes other than ribbon form.

Patented Sept. 24, 1h63 ICC The length of the strip l2 is chosen to extend to the bottom of the borehole and may be unwound from a reel 1d which may be mounted on a truck 16. The lower end 17 of ribbon 12 is inflated and has connected thereto a pipe section 13 as shown more clearly in FIG. lA. The lower end of section 18 is provided with an internal annular shoulder or stop 2th in carrying out this new method, the inllatable material 12 is first lowered into the borehole lil. The cementitious material is then used to inflate the inflatable metal material 12 into tubular form. The inflatable material l2 is cut. The cut end is tted over the exit line of cement pump 33. The cementitious material is then pumped down the inliated metal tube and up the annulus formed by the iniiated tubular member and the sides of the borehole to completely iill the annulus. As shown in FIG. 3, the cementitious material may be iiowed down the tubing 12 and up the tubing-borehole annulus by means of a plug member 3@ which is adapted to seat on the annular seating portion 2t). The plug member 30 is forced down the inilated member 12 by means of a liquid such as salt water 32 behind the plug 30.

The pressure required to cause this flow will squeeze the cementitious material into the annulus to reinforce the hole wall. Once the annulus is full, the material can be allowed to set up. The inflated tubular member 12 may be properly centered or spaced Within the hole by the provision of arplurality of centralizer buttons 34 which can be molded directly onto the ribbon 12.

After the cementitious material has been allowed to set, the liquid 32 may be removed from the tubular member 12 or used as a well completion fluid in the same manner as in a 'well using conventional casing. The liquid 32 can be mud or oil, as well as salt water. The new casing or borehole lining is then complete. This lining or casing, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, comprises the iniiated metal member l2 of less diameter than the borehole and the set cementitious material 36 in the annulus formed by the inflated tubular member 12 and the sides of the bore hole 10.

Examples of cementitious material which may be utilized are cement, phenol-formaldehyde plastic, epoxy resin, polystyrene resins, acrylic resins, butadiene, styrene coplyrner resin, and others.

We claim:

1. A method of forming a lining in a borehole comprising the steps of: lowering a nontubular light-weight, low-strength elongate metal member having a longitudinal passage formed therethrough; applying a pressure through the longitudinal passage to change the shape of said metal mem-ber to fonm a tubular member-borehole annulus; pumping cementitious material down the tubular member and up the tubular member-'borehole annulus to ll said annulus with the cementitious material; and allowing the cementitious material to set, -thus providing a borehole lining.

2. A method of forming a lining in a borehole in accordance =with claim 1 wherein the light-Weight, lowstrength elongate metal member lowered into the borehole is ribbon-shaped with a longitudinal slit formed therethrough parallel to the longer sides of the ribbon.

References Cited in the lile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS `1,233,888 y Leonard July 17, 1917 1,563,520 Owen Dec. l, 1925 3,028,915 Jennings Apr. 10, 1962 

1. A METHOD OF FORMING A LINING IN A BOREHOLE COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: LOWERING A NONTUBULAR LIGHT-WEIGHT, LOW-STRENGTH ELONGATE METAL MEMBER HAVING A LONGITUDINAL PASSAGE FORMED THERETHROUGH; APPLYING A PRESSURE THROUGH THE LONGITUDINAL PASSAGE TO CHANGE THE SHAPE OF SAID METAL MEMBER TO FORM A TUBULAR MEMBER-BOREHOLE ANNULUS; PUMPING CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL DOWN THE TUBULAR MEMBER AND UP THE TUBULAR MEMBER-BOREHOLE ANNULUS TO FILL SAID ANNULUS WITH THE CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL; AND ALLOWING THE CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL TO SET, THUS PROVIDING A BOREHOLE LINING. 